DIRECTOR OF LIBRARIES

Employer Website is here.
Bard College invites applications from dynamic, collaborative and innovative library leaders to serve as Director of Libraries.

Bard is a private liberal arts college with 1,800 undergraduate students based in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York. Ninety miles from New York City, the beautiful 1,000-acre campus sits along the Hudson River with views of the Catskill Mountains. In addition to the college, Bard has a conservatory, as well as eight graduate programs offering over 20 graduate degrees in the arts and sciences, and is home to the Fisher Performing Arts Center and the Hessel Museum of Art. The college has a network of over 35 affiliated programs, institutes, and centers throughout the United States and around the world. This includes the Bard Prison Initiative, the largest college-degree-granting prison education program in the U.S. With a reputation for scholarly excellence and civic engagement, Bard is committed to enriching culture, public life, and democratic discourse by training tomorrow’s thought leaders. The College seeks to inspire curiosity, a love of learning, idealism, and a commitment to the link between higher education and civic participation.

The Director is responsible for the management of library services, facilities, collections and critical partnerships. The Director will be an active partner in and contributor to campus life and administration; a leader in developing new ways to respond to and to anticipate the diverse needs of students, faculty, and staff; an advocate of the thoughtful application of emerging technologies toward equitable access to collections and services. They will lead a flexible, responsive, collaborative team. The Director will develop a budget infrastructure that balances comprehensive annual operating budgets with an active pursuit of alternative funding sources (experience, for instance, with grant writing).

The Director oversees the Stevenson Library and Annandale sites including the Levy Economics Institute Library, the Bard Visual Resources Center and the Historical Collection and Archives at the Montgomery Place Campus, coordinates programs, policies and operations with Bard’s libraries and collections housed at locations other than the main campus (New York City, Berlin and Palestine), and acts as an active library services advisor to the college’s affiliated national and international programs, including Open Society University Network. The Director reports to the Dean of the College.

Essential Duties

Directs all aspects of library operations including: program and policy development, collections, finance, personnel, long-range planning, and facilities (including a projected library extension)
Works closely with campus leadership
Works closely with Bard Information Technology especially on expanding digital initiatives related to collections, collection access and instruction
Represents library practice and policy to a variety of campus constituents, and others in the wider community
Supports the library’s core mission in supporting student preparation for learning by maintaining and expanding important partnerships with college staff engaged with instruction and student services
Focuses on eliminating opportunity gaps, advancing student success, and promoting racial equity, social justice, and intercultural engagement
Maintains and expands collaboration with consortia and other groups for resource sharing, print archiving, group purchasing, and other initiatives
Coordinates staff development toward preparing the staff to be adaptive, imaginative, appropriately skilled, and self-critical
Collaborates with other key campus leaders concerning assessment, metrics and data use

Required Qualifications

Master’s degree in Library and Information Science required; additional graduate degree in an academic discipline desirable
Five or more years of experience with increasing administrative responsibilities in an academic library
Commitment to generous and energetic campus service
Exemplary and demonstrated oral and written communication skills
Deep understanding of the use of technological systems, including emerging technologies, integrated library systems, Open Education Resources, and archival collections management systems
Strong commitment to liberal education and to advancing the college’s stated goals for diversity, equity and inclusion
Experience working with diverse audiences and leading DEAI work, both relating to library collections development and user engagement and outreach
Command of best practices in library science and archival management and willingness to iterate upon them to enhance accessibility and discoverability

Desired Qualifications

Demonstrated experience with grant-seeking to advance library special projects
Proven track record of effective resource management and experience with library planning and renovation
Experience promoting and fostering a supportive environment built on appreciation, recognition, learning and professional growth

To Apply

Please submit a CV, cover letter, diversity statement and list of three professional references to Interfolio at this link.

Applications will be reviewed as received.
AA/EOE